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The Road to Success Isn’t Paved….

A woman walking down a narrow, twisting road spotted a guru meditating on the grass.

“Excuse me, master,” she called. “Is this the road to success?”

The old man nodded silently and pointed a finger in the direction the traveler was headed. She thanked the guru and hurried on her way.

An hour later the woman returned, limping and exhausted.

“Hey!” she shouted to the guru. “You told me that was the road to success! I walked that way and right away I fell into a deep pothole. What’s the matter with you?”

The guru stared at the woman. Finally, after 10 long seconds, the guru said, “That is the road to success. It lies just beyond the potholes.”

Let’s face it: Being successful at weight-loss is more than being lucky and having someone there to point you in the right direction. It’s great when you do have these advantages edging you closer to your goal, but from step one, you have to be our own pilot.

A good pilot, like yourself, always has an excellent flight-plan, back-up procedures if something should go wrong, a supportive and well-trained team, the right equipment, tools and technology at his/her disposal and a strong sense of personal responsibility. They also have to have a specific destination in mind before even taking off.

I heard somewhere that in order to reach any personal goal we have to start “bass ackwards” — a clever and G-rated twist on words. No matter how you phrase it, we’ve got to know exactly what we want before we set-out to achieve it.

What do you want?

Why do you want it?

What does being successful at your goal, no matter what it is, look and feel like?

I became one of the very first members of Weight Watchers knowing I wanted to lose weight 40 pounds. I felt that getting to a healthy weight would give me the confidence to re-enter the workforce and support my kids. I knew I had my work cut-out for me; where was I going to find the time to fit me into my life? Where was I going to find the money to buy fresh fruits, vegetables and wholesome food? What tools would I need to advance my agenda? I was fired-up though and nothing was going to deter me from my goal. I got busy on a plan, breaking things down to manageable chunks. Failure wasn’t an option. I’m no different from you. Once you know and feel the fire in your belly, you will want to devise a game plan.

Your plan should include strategies for pulling yourself out of the ruts you might fall into along the way. You are going to face challenges; you’d only be fooling yourself if you thought that getting to a healthy weight was going to be a walk in the park. There are bad habits to get rid of along the way and good ones that you have to pick-up. You’re going to hit some obstacles. When you do, do you plan to pull yourself up, wipe yourself off and learn from these experiences so you can move forward? I hope so. The other choice, and that’s what it is, a choice, is to allow a challenge or setback to break and defeat you.

I love how Portia Nelson explains the journey in her, “There’s a Hole in My Sidewalk: Autobiography In Five Short Chapters”:

CHAPTER I

I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in.
I am lost… I am helpless.
It isn’t my fault.
It takes me forever to find a way out.

CHAPTER II

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don’t see it.
I fall in again.
I can’t believe I am in the same place
But it isn’t my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.

CHAPTER III

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in… it’s a habit.
My eyes are open.
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.

CHAPTER IV

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.

CHAPTER V

I walk down another street.”

You have all that it takes to become a good, no make that a “great” pilot of your own destiny! I believe in you and so should you!